5 objects of the 1980s and 90s replaced by smartphones

Game Boy

the Game Boy was a real phenomenon in the 1990s. The portable console released by Nintendo in Japan in 1989, landed in Europe in 1990. For those of you who do not know, the Game Boy was made up of a small screen LCD with shades of gray on a green background. Four batteries were needed to make it work, and to blow up Super Mario and the other protagonists of these games available in cartridges, and there was only two round buttons, A and B, and a black slider (which put the thumbs to the test after several hours of play, believe me!).

Opinion by Jessica Murgia

the Game Boy was a real phenomenon in the 1990s

what do you think?

Was one of the games that Nintendo announced with the Game Boy Tetris, a classic known abroad that has stuck to the screen for hours with other games like The Blues Brothers, Super Mario and a Paperboy on a skateboard (if you remember the name of this game, please write it in a comment). With more than 100 million units sold, the Game Boy allowed players to be entertained anywhere because it was possible to put it in my pocket or in bag (it was certainly not as thin as smartphones). New more modern versions are out over the years (Pocket, Light, Color, Advance, Advance SP, Boy Micro). Now the Japanese company is ready to launch a new console on the market, the Switch, both handheld and Lounge that can connect to a television. But will she be able to have the same success?

the magical dictation

in remaining on the theme of the games, the magical dictation was a game designed for children from 3 years. It’s sort of a small computer that offered four modes of play: write, rehearse, ABC, code, and guess. Those who played will never forget the famous phrases «now write and check…» ‘ or ‘write and press control. “

for those who have forgotten, the dictation appears also in E.T. the extra-terrestrial, the famous film directed by Steven Spielberg in 1982.

Walkmans and cassette

everyone knows maybe not Walkman was the name of the audio cassette player produced by Sony in 1979. Later, the name of this device, which allowed to listen to music anywhere, became so popular that it was used to refer to all readers of portable audio cassettes. He was without a doubt one of the most successful products of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s because it allowed to put music on the front of the stage. A symbol of a generation that might be comparable to the smartphone, in a certain way.

Opinion by Jessica Murgia

the Walkman is a generational as symbol is a little smartphone currently

what do you think?

I have still two Walkman at home: I received my first 7 years, a more thought model for children, while the second, completely black, and having a body slimmer and less bulky keys, was offered to me for my 12th birthday. The Walkman and tapes were replaced by CDs and portable CD players, which themselves were replaced by MP3 players, which gradually gave way to smartphones, offering applications and streaming services dedicated to music. At the present time, I’m still thinking how I could recycle my collection of tapes and CDs…

who has never owned a floppy who one day decided to put an end to my life, taking with it all the data stored on it? This magnetic data storage medium, although it was slow and had a low storage capacity (especially when you think about the size of the current files), was popular until the end of the 90s when Apple, always as visionary, abolished the reader dedicated to the disks of their computers in 1998.

Since its release in 1967, the floppy ceased to evolve and has seen its size be reduced: floppy (8 ”), mini disk (5.25 “) and micro floppy disk (3.5”). Sony, one of the largest manufacturers of floppy disks, and interrupted production in March 2011. The disks were replaced by the CD and USB keys currently still in use. Now, smartphones and Cloud services allow to save files of all kinds.

the Kodak and Fujifilm film

you know what was the first thing I did after returning from the summer vacation with my family? I brought our films hoping they can be developed as soon as possible. After a few days of waiting, I discovered that half of the shots were missed.

Opinion by Jessica Murgia

smartphones have replaced the compact cameras

what do you think?

Before the advent of compact cameras (now also set aside with the arrival of smartphones), cameras film, built around a battery and a film that allowed to print the photos, were legions. Today, it is not much used in the 80s and 90s, but it must be recognized that there are still many photo enthusiasts who continue to be passionate about film and photo film.

Digital however took over and we could see how, even in the field of photography, smartphones have experienced a kind of revolution. Equipped with sensors of increasingly powerful, built-in filters and settings can be changed manually, cameras of smartphones are appreciated by users who want to capture pictures of their vacation and scenes from everyday life. And then there are also those who use them professionally.

Smartphone: so many features in a single device

the above devices are just some of those with whom we had to do almost every day during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The smartphone has replaced some of these devices, but they are not the only ones: with the development of mobile phones (later), calculators, phone booths (working with telephone cards or coins) and pagers fell into oblivion. Then WhatsApp installed on millions of smartphones, has replaced the MSN chat and SMS.

The smartphone, it is true, has been the most popular innovation of the last decade. One device is able to lock up so many features and more affordable. The bottom and media range are evolving, with more designs and a design that allows to meet the daily needs of the average user. Those who want more have the choice. With its for and its cons, the smartphone has managed to conquer all, overcoming the generation gap and limits of all kinds.